The Daily News

The Ella Stern and Harry Stern Sports Arena is in need of a new scoreboard, and Roger Richels, president of the Head of the Red Youth Activity Association (HOTR), told his board Monday he put in for a grant to replace it. Richels said the grant from Alliance Pipeline is worth between $8,000 and $10,000.

"The scoreboard is the original from 1984, when the building was built," said Richels. "It’s old and it needs to be replaced... We can't find parts to fix it anymore. It's outdated."

The board discussed the details concerning an Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant they will soon receive from the North Dakota Department of Commerce. They will use the grant to replace all of the arena’s halogen lights with more energy-efficient fluorescent lights. This improvement will also double as a cost-reducing action.

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Under the supervision of board member Wayne Beyer, also Wahpeton director of parks and recreation, HOTR is weighing bids from local electrical companies and contractors for the upcoming job. The expected cost of labor, materials and installation is $14,000. The group is engaged in confirming the details of the contract, which includes the project's regulations and requirements such as providing notice of any potential impact the project may have on the environment.

The HOTR is required to cover 10 percent of the total costs, roughly $1,400, and the block grant will cover the remaining bulk of the project’s cost. The grant is funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009. The deadline for the project bids is Feb. 12.

While the board approved the majority of the items on its agenda, several projects, largely related to building maintenance, are being deferred until the start of summer, when the arena has closed for the season.

In the meantime, the HOTR had plenty to discuss with the issue of declining figures. The issue of attendance was the first problem given attention.

"The population is going down (in Wahpeton), and the numbers of skaters is going down," Richels said during the meeting.

The continuing decline has caused a problematic loss of revenue. In response, the HOTR is seeking more young skaters from the community, particularly youth grades kindergarten through 12, who are especially interested in skating.

Also, the HOTR board recently had four of its members withdraw, with another three preparing to follow. As such, the board is actively seeking new members to fill their vacant spots in order to have a full, nine member roster before the end of all the members' terms in April.

Lastly, the board announced there will be a flag dedication ceremony this evening, at the Stern Sports Arena, between the JV and Varsity Blades hockey games.

The flag was flown at Camp Patriot, Kuwait Naval Base, on New Year’s Eve, last Jan. 1, in the BW Blades’ honor by LTC David P. Chase. It will be presented to the BW Blades on behalf of the 1/147 FA BN, the South Dakota Army National Guard, and “the men and women serving our nation at Camp Patriot during Operation Iraqi Freedom,” according to an HOTR release. LTC Chase’s daughters, Sarah and Sydney Chase, are Blades hockey players.

According to the release, all Blades families are encouraged to attend this special dedication.

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